DPMS Panther
AP-4 .22LR Training Rifle

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Bonita Lacey

December 29th, 2005

DPMS of St. Cloud, Minnesota produces an
extensive variety of AR-15 and AR-10 type rifles in 5.56 NATO
(.223), 7.62 NATO (.308), and .300
SAUM, selling them at prices that usually beat their
competitors by a good margin. Their rifles are of high quality,
and have exhibited very good accuracy and excellent reliability.
We have tested a few of their rifles here on Gunblast.com, and
they have always performed well.

Recently, I received from DPMS a Panther AP-4
chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge, and that is the
subject of this article. Upon opening the hard plastic case, I
was immediately impressed with the fit and finish of the rifle.
Upon first look, it appears to be an AR-15 M-4 carbine. All of
the attachments and hardware look to be mil-spec parts and
pieces. The sixteen inch barrel wears a birdcage, closed-bottom
flash suppressor, and has the familiar M-4 step in the barrel.
It also wears a bayonet lug at the bottom of the front sight/gas
block unit. The short CAR-type hand guard is of the oval
configuration. The upper receiver is the familiar A-3 type, with
a detachable carry handle, that incorporates the rear A-2 style
sight. Loosening two knurled knobs detaches the carry handle,
exposing a Picatinny flattop rail for the mounting of optical
sights. The Panther AP-422 weighs in at just over six and
one-half pounds.

The Panther comes with two ten-round magazines,
a cleaning kit, black nylon sling, instruction manual, and the
hard plastic case. The sample rifle also has a
six-position collapsible buttstock (a version with a pinned
stock is available where the adjustable unit is prohibited),
which makes it perfect for shooters of all sizes. Having most of
the features of the military M-4 carbine, the Panther is an
excellent training rifle. Whether or not one likes the US
military’s latest combat rifle, it is important that every
young citizen is familiar with the weapon, and the Panther 22 is
an excellent trainer. With .22 LR ammunition being so
inexpensive that it is almost free, a shooter can shoot all day
for about nine dollars.

It was with this concept in mind that I
proceeded with this article; that is, that the Panther 22 is a
good understudy to the 5.56mm chambered rifle. However, as I
finished all of the measurements and photos, and got into the
shooting tests, I then realized that this .22 LR carbine
should not be limited to that role. While the size, weight, and
controls are very much like its bigger brother, the Panther
AP422 is also plenty accurate and reliable for other purposes as
well.

I have in the past tried .22 LR chambered ARs
that were not very reliable, and was concerned that this Panther
would be the same. However, I am pleased to report that this
weapon fed, fired, extracted, and ejected every .22 LR cartridge
that I tried to feed it, except for one dud cartridge that
apparently had no priming mixture in its rim. Anyway, it was no
fault of the rifle. It is the first .22 LR chambered AR that I
have ever handled that was one hundred percent reliable with
several different brands of ammunition. I tried every type of
.22 LR ammo that I had on hand, and they all functioned
perfectly.

For accuracy testing, I mounted the excellent
Leupold
Mark 4, 4.5 to 14 power Long Range riflescope. It is a scope
that has proven its repeatable accuracy to me in the past, and I
trust it for testing the accuracy of rifles. The Panther shot
very well, with most common hunting type cartridges grouping
within one and one-half inches at fifty yards for five shots. My
only gripe with the panther is the trigger pull, which is
typical AR; about six and one-half pounds. As it is intended to
be a training rifle, I guess that it is appropriate that it have
a military trigger pull also, but I do better target work with a
lighter trigger pull. Some brands of ammo did turn in very good
accuracy, grouping between five-eighths and one inch for a few
of the types tried. Winchester Dynapoint
hollowpoints, which I buy in bulk, grouped 100 rounds into just
one and one-quarter inches, rapid fire, with but a couple of
stragglers. This group was fired as fast as I could load the
magazine and fire the weapon at the target, emptying the
magazine in about six seconds. That is very consistent
performance with the ammo that is my favorite for hunting small
game; the Dynapoint. Perhaps DPMS should market this rifle
towards squirrel hunters. It is certainly plenty accurate for
such work.

The AP422 operates on the blowback principle, as
can be seen in the picture of the bolt. Minimal
maintenance is needed. Cleaning the bolt and lightly lubricating
with a good synthetic light oil, such as Break Free or Militec
will keep it running. Differing from the AR-15, the bolt
does not stay open after emptying the magazine, and the dust
cover will not close on a closed bolt. Otherwise, the controls
work the same as on the AR-15/AR-10 weapons. This is an
excellent training tool for youngsters and teenagers.

During the testing of this weapon, I was
assisted by Alex Lacey, a high school Junior Reserve
Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Captain. His high school program
uses bolt action .22 rifles, and this was the first AR type
weapon that he has fired, but he took to it immediately. We set
up a steel six inch swinging plate at about 40 yards with a Trijicon
Reflex tritium dot sight atop the Panther. This makes
for a weapon/sight combo much like that used by many units in
Iraq. Captain Lacey turned in an excellent performance with the
Panther, missing only twice while emptying several magazines
full of the Winchester Dynapoint ammo. He will soon be
shooting the 5.56mm and .50 Beowulf
ARs, and will be very familiar with the weapons system before
entering basic training in a couple of years. The adjustable
six-position buttstock and minimal recoil of the Panther AP422
makes for a good target or hunting rifle for adults or teenagers
of any size. The Panther proved to be reliable, accurate, and
just plain fun to shoot.

Check out the entire line of DPMS Panther rifles
online at: www.dpmsinc.com.